Danielle
Kelly and Jessa Khan
run it back for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Submission Grappling
World Title! 🏆 Who you got?#ONEFightNight14
| Friday at 8PM ET
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pic.twitter.com/vTvnLvlHcC— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship)
September 28, 2023
Jessa
Khan’s confidence could not be higher heading into her rematch
against Danielle
Kelly for the inaugural One
Championship atomweight submission grappling title in a
ONE on Prime Video 14 co-feature this Friday at Singapore
Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Khan captured her first world title in June at the International
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship in Long Beach,
California. Preparing for the two-day tournament took months of
dedicated training and game planning for the best grapplers on the
planet. Khan claims shifting her focus from a tournament to a
single match has been a breeze.
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“I think it’s been easier. Since January to June, I’ve been in a gi
for world’s camp,” Khan said. “Ever since winning worlds, I’ve been
training no-gi for this fight. That’s like a three-month camp, so
I’m more than ready.”
Khan has been on an international tear this year. In January, she
took bronze at the European IBJJF Championship in France before
claiming gold at the Southeast Asian Games in May. Her world title
in June was the highlight of her season, but adding the ONE
Championship belt could help grow her platform as one of the
sport’s rising stars.
“Two years ago, I didn’t think that I would get this opportunity,”
Khan said. “I feel like both [Kelly and I] are doing a great job
with our career right now, and it’s only going to grow women’s
jiu-jitsu.”
After signing with One Championship over a year ago, Khan will
finally make her debut with the company. By contrast, Kelly has
already competed three times, including a unanimous decision win
over Ayaka Miura
in February. Kelly lost the first match with Khan back in 2021 but
feels their second encounter will tell an entirely different story.
Not only has she gotten stronger, but she believes she has grown
sharper, as well.
“I’ve always wanted this match, this title, and my mental game is
way different than it was before,” Kelly said. “2021 was a really
big up-and-down year, and to just compare myself to that year, I
feel like I’ve improved a lot.”
Khan carries added confidence from having previously defeated
Kelly, but she also recognizes that her opponent has improved.
Their first match feels like a lifetime ago, and she could be
facing an entirely different fighter. Either way, she expects to
put on a show in a groundbreaking historic match.
“This will go down in history,” Khan said. “One of us will come out
with the win, and if I get that title, it’ll be great because it’s
just helping the next generation. I think that this is a
steppingstone, and eventually, I hope to see other little girls
that I teach get this opportunity and even more.”